More than half of the cigarettes sold in New York State are smuggled in from other places to avoid the Empire State’s taxes on smokes, which have soared nearly 200 percent since 2006, according to a report issued by the conservative Tax Foundation.

New York is the highest net importer of smuggled cigarettes illegal smokes account for 56.9 percent of the state’s total market. New York’s cigarettes tax is $4.35 per pack, the country’s highest. The situation there isn’t unique. The Tax Foundation also cites a study that found that 58.7 percent of discarded cigarettes found in five Northeastern cities lacked proper tax stamps.

Taxes on cigarettes, which are designed to discourage smoking, vary widely. States such as Missouri, North Carolina and Virginia have levies of less than a $1 per pack. These wide differences make smuggling “both a national problem and a lucrative criminal enterprise,” according to the Tax Foundation.

Antismoking activists have long argued that fewer people will buy cigarettes if they’re expensive. Chicago recently raised its cigarette taxes for that reason. Combined with state and local levies, the total is now $7.17 a pack.

The smuggling problem “is a lot smaller than the study lets on,” said Thomas Carr, director of national policy at the American Lung Association, noting that the Tax Foundation’s data come from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, which has received funding from the tobacco industry. “Tobacco companies are generally against higher tobacco taxes.”

In neighboring New Jersey, convenience store owners are fighting efforts by the state legislature to impose new taxes on e cigarettes that would nearly double their cost. E cigarettes fans tout them as a healthier alternative to conventional smokes.

Activists such as the American Lung Association, however, argue that no evidence backs up that claim and others, such as e cigarettes help people stop smoking regular cigarettes. Nonetheless, electronic smokes are surging in popularity, and experts note that should disparities in e cigarette taxes develop among the states, they could also become attractive to smugglers.

“I would imagine it would be easier to smuggle electronic cigarettes because they are smaller,” says Tax Foundation economist Scott Drenkard. “If you have any kind of differential, you are going to see arbitrage.”

Beyond interstate trade, cigarette smuggling is a global problem.

Last year, law enforcement officials seized $4.5 million worth of counterfeit Chinese cigarettes in Brooklyn, N.Y. Media reports indicate illicit cigarette production has soared in China in recent years.

Ukraine is another source of ill gotten smokes. According to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, the European country, currently involved in a dispute over Crimea with Russia, boasts the world’s cheapest cigarettes at $1.05 per pack.

Cars and trucks filled with Ukrainian made Marlboros and Viceroys get waved through border checkpoints by customs guards who seem more than eager to accommodate, for a price,” the consortium says. “Loads also move by bus and train, bound for other European countries where high taxes make packs cost as much as $5 (Germany) or $10 (United Kingdom).”

Everybody loves effy

THE AUTHOR OF MY FAVORITE BOOK COMMENTED ON A PHOTO OF MINE AND I WAS LIKE OK OK OK OK WHAT DID SHE? REALLY? SERIOUSLY? DID SHE? WHAAAAA

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behind the scenes the walking stories

Anonym fragte that’s harsh..

i told her good morning, i asked how it s going, how she is feeling today we talked for 15 minutes and troughout the entire time her attitude was unbelievably rude she had a IDONTGIVEAFUCK attitude and was completely unreasonable so i figured if she wants to make this difficult, we gladly can my mom taught me to be polite but also not to fear getting into arguments with people who are fucking dumbasses and i ve never had a problem with making sure some fuckers know that just because i m in need of their service they can’t treat people (or me in that case) like shit

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i’ve been trying to explain to this dumbass for 15 minutes that a bill didn’t came in the mail and that i went to the post office (they told me it never arrived there either) and she goes ‘well thats not our fault nor our problem we sent it’ so i told her ‘well its MY problem but i guarantee i will make it YOUR problem if you don’t change your tone of voice because i’m just trying to figure this out and while we’re at the topic of problems if youre having one with working on sundays and/or helping customers out if one comes up involving with your incompetent company, i’d gladly talk whoever manages your department and is willing to figure how come customer service is lead by someone with such an outrageous attitude and a disinteresst to acknowledge that youre fucking company messed up, not the post office nor myself but if you’ve suddenly found the ability to speak to me with respect as you should from one human being to another and accept my terms we can gladly start this conversation over

IF YA’LL KNEW HOW QUICK SHE CHANGED HER TONE

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Anonym fragte can you please publish the train story?

Weiterlesen

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cigarettes and effy

when i writei either take 5 seconds to come up with 3 pages or i take 6 hours to just get the first sentence feeling rightthere is no in between